Condenser for cotton and other fibers



Aug. 6, 1940. w sHAw E r AL coNDENsEa Fon coTToN AND OTHER FIBERs Filed Feb. 14, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l MM. Y s j Am ww N* \\wk. .I. ---mm -M.......,. R. .l .UHU M. MN! Xqmw m HIIHU m N HHHHU UHU m WU m DHU Und f .e HU ii .r|-| l :NQ

Aug. 6, 1940. w, SHAW .Er AL 2,210,843

CONDENSER FOR COTTON AND OTHER FIBERS Filed Feb. 14, 19:59' 4 Sheets-sheet 2 Aug. 6, 1940. w. sHAw Er A1. 210,843

CONDENSER FOR COTTN AND OTHER FIBERS Filed Feb. 14, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4` Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATESA 2,210,843 v l ooNDENSER Foa ooT'roN AND' OTHER FIBERS f1. 1 3

William Shaw` and Eliot B. MacLean, Saco, Maine,

assignors to Saco-Lowell .Shops Boston, Mass.,.

a corporation of Maine Application February i4,l 19539, Serialy .256,294

13' Claims. (016194156) 1y t0 get out-of orderor to require `cleaning and l This invention relates to machines or apparatus for separating cotton or other fibrous material from a stream of air in which'it is being` conveyed. An apparatus of this type is commonly referred to as a condensen It is a very common practice to convey cotton from a storehouse to a mill, or from one operation or department in a mill to another, by means of a current of air guided through a conduit or pipe.

Y At the point where the cotton is to be delivered it is screened out of the conveying current by a condenser. Thus in a 'textile mill or other plant in which fiber in loose form is handled, many` .of these condensers may be used. Frequently they are built into, or form part of, a machine, butin many instances, also, they are installed as separate and independent units.

A typical condenser comprises a rotary screening drum mounted in a, casing into which the ber ladencurrentoi air isconducted, the arrangement being such that the current is directed through the peripheral screening surface of the drum and is discharged axially through one or both of its ends. During such travel the ber is deposited on the lscreening surface and is carried by the rotary motion of the drum into the range oi operation of a pair of delivery rolls which strip the fiber from the drum and discharge it from the apparatus. In order to enable these rolls to perform their functions it is necessary to adjust them from time to tim-e. For the same reason it is customary to locate curved shields or vanes inside the drum closely adjacent to its peripheral surface and of considerable circumferential extent so that they will substantially prevent the iiow of air through the section of the drum from which delivery rolls remove the fiber. These vanes or shields also get out of `correct position at times and must be readjusted. Accordfingly, both of these accessory elements require care and attention on thepart of, someone, and are the cause of much trouble and annoyance.

, It has been the custom heretofore to build condensers generally with reference to the requirement of the particular installation and, consequently, more or less to order. This facthas necessarily added to the expense of manufacture and isvoften the cause of delay in making shipments and filling orders.

- The present invention aims to improve condensers with a view to eliminating much of the trouble and annoyance heretofore experienced with them, reducing the manufacturing expense, and devising a construction readily adaptable to a wide variety of conditions and which may be regarded as standard for many requirements of textile mills. It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of this kind which will demand materially less care and attention than prior art constructions and will be less likeadjustment,. 1 I l Y, vA `further object-.of the` invention is to devise a complete condenser unit including a screening cylindenablower cooperating therewith, means for, stripping the screened fiber'from the cylinder and discharging. it, together with Athe-driving. connections betweenthe various elements, the entire unit being-portablegahd capable of ybeing installed quickly nand conveniently at any desired point where itistmbe used. The naturegof the invention will be readily understood from'the following description when read in 1-connection with the accompanying draw-` ings, and the novel vfeatures will be-particularly pointed out-in the appended claims. Inthe drawings; p Figurerl Yis aplan View of a 'condenser unit c onstructedin accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal', sectional View approx--` imately on .the line 2-,2, Fig. 1 Fig. f3 is a transverse, sectional view approxi-f mately on the line 3-.3, Fig. 2,; 1 j Figs v,financi 5 are side views, largely diagrammatic in character. vindicating different arrangements in which thel parts of the kunit may lbeas v`scented,with each' other; f

Figs.'` l6 andA ,7 arefragmentarm longitudinal, sectional `views,showing'qdiiferent, positions of the intake chute; and..

y Fig. 8:. is a vertical, sectional View approXimately 0151 theline 8-8, Fig. 1. v

Referringnrstpto Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the I condenser unit th-ereshowncomprises a rotary drum, openat both ends, and including a suitable num-l ber v.pispiders r2,1* the circumferential edges of which support a cylindricalscreen 3. The unit also ,includesaafblowen indicated in general Vat 4. Thesemembers are mounted in a casing provided with-suitable ychambers to receive the drum and blower, respectively. .TheA casing is made atits opposite rsides-with `conduit or pipe sections ,5f-5 providing ducts or flues 6 6, Fig. 3, which afford communication between the dischargefor outlet ,er 1 dsf; of fthedrum 3 and the intake ends of thebigwen 4. rnusthe blower win draw air from thescreening chamber through the circurnf ierentia'l ysurfa ce,.i of the drumout through the ends .of the latter and will discharge it throughy a metal drum having a series of radial metal bars II welded thereto and extending across the drum from one end thereof to the other, and a series ofmstrippen'blades I2 made of leather, or

equivalent material, secured to the bars II by` similar bars or strips I3 bolted to the parts II. The stripper revolves in a short discharge chute I4, preferably in the same direction as the drum 3 but at a considerably higherperipheral speed, so that the flexible blades I 2 sweep the ber from the screening surface 3 and hurl this stock through the discharge chute. In addition to performing this function the stripper also seals said chute against any material iiow of dustladen air through it.

lrom-the'A foregoing itfwill be seen that the entire circumferential area of the screeningdrum 3 lis'` open tothe simultaneous ow of the air stream therethrough; that baifles or vanes inside the drum have `been completely eliminated so that the difficulties heretofore occasioned by-their use are avoided; and that the usual stripper rollsv auy ,umn the flexible blades l2 lare wom cui.

Thus these factors which have heretofore been thehcause ofmuchftrouble and annoyance are either eliminated or so changed that the diniculties .with them arecompletely avoided or 'greatly minimized. v

In that partof the screening chamber through which s-uccessive portions of thescreen 3 travel immediately after leaving thev stripper, there is a tendency for the air circulation to be relatively sluggish simply dfue to the position of the drum in the chamber and the relationship of this portion of the chamber to the direction in which the incoming air stream enters'the chamber. If, in addition, it is necessary touse a deflector plate, suchY as that shown at I 5, Fig. 2,1whichv is not required in the arrangement there illustratedvbut is advisable with other positions of the intake chute, then the air ow in `the lower left-hand corner ofthe chamber may `become so sluggish that dust or fiber will collect there-toi an undesirable degree. In order to prevent this action, the bottom platell of the casing Vis slotted, as shown at I6 in Figs. 1 and 2, and a damper plate .I 8 is mounted immediately below this slotted area and is guided on bolts 2U20 so that it ycanfbe adjusted to open the slots I6 more or less or to lclose them completely. Thus a restricted and controlled admission of' airintofthisI part 'ofthe chamber is provided where it prevents any-substantial accumulation lof dust or iber'in lthis region. v n l A l v l` In order to reduce the expense of manufacture ofthe apparatus and to provide for convenient interchange or rearrangement -of the parts, the casing preferably is made of metal plates bolted or otherwise Secured together. Preferably, also, itis Amade in two sections, namely, a screening fsectionA and a:blower section B. vThe screen section -A includes side plates 2 I-2 I provided' with flanged margins. lConnecting these plates are additional top and bottom plates or panels 22 and 'I-"Lrespectively, andfront and rear panels 23 and :24; All of thesepanels likewise are -provided with 'flanged edgesand-they are secured to the side pilates byboltsb The curved plates of the chute "I4 -similarlyare secured to adjacentl casing parts. Additional inclined, plates 33 and 34, Fig. 2, conneet the'upper and lower edges, respectively, of the -front panel 23'to the adjacent plates. The rectangular inner end ofthe intake chute 8 also .rod 23 and by the blower casing.

is secured to the rear plate 24 by bolts and to the top plate 22 lby a small panel 35 bolted both to the parts 8Land 22.

The blower section B comprises Aside plates 25-25 similar to the plates 2I-2I but does not have top, bottom, front, or rear plates. The side plates are secured together by a spacing This casing includes a main section 21 or rotor casing in which the fan 28 is housed and two tubular intake sections 30-30 opening into the ducts 6-6 and each welded to metal plates at opposite ends thereof which are bolted to the end plates 25 and the casing 2l, respectively. These plates at the outer ends of the sections 36 are sho-wn at 3| in FigLll/and are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. @The two sections A and B are secured together by rows of bolts 32-32, Fig. l, passing through the abutting vertical flanges of the side plates of the two sections.

The conduit or iiue sections -5 preferably are made integral with the side plates 2I-2I and their left-hand ends, Fig. l, are telescoped within similar sections 5-5 integral with the side plates 25-'25 of the blower section. As shown in Fig. 1, the opposite ends of the ducts 5-5 are closed by caps 36-36. This construction provides .an arrangement which can/be easily modified to suit a great variety of conditions. For example, if it is desired to shift lthe intake chute 8 into. the position shown in Fig. 5, this can readily be. doneby disconnecting the chute and the plate 35, Fig. 2, turning them into the desiredl position and then bolting the plate 35 to the upper edge of the plate 24 and thevl free edge of the chute to the left-hand edge of the panel 22 Similarly, it can'be shifted to the right-hand 'side of the screen section, as shownin Figs. 6 and 7, the parts in those gures beingfdesignated by the same numerals used for corresponding parts in the other figures. When the chute 8 is in the position shown in either Figs. 5 or 6, the deector plate I5 is useful in producing a better distribution of the air flow throughout the chamber and preventing the cottonfrom being carried by its own momentum into the portion of the screening chamber behind the drum 3 where, as above stated, the circulation naturally is somewhat sluggish. Also, when the chute is in the position shown in Fig. 7, the plate I5 can be shifted to the right-handside of the screening chamber where it will co-operate with adjacent parts in essentially the same manner that it does when the chute is in the position illustrated inI Fig. 5. Preferably this plate is equipped with a tip or edge member I5 which is adjustable toward and from the-drum 3 so that the relationship of this deflector or. baille member to the drum can be' varied to suit different operating conditions. The two sections A and` B of -the casing also can be reversed, if desired, vwhile still preserving the operative relationship of the blower and screen section to each other. Fig. 4 shows theblower section secured to the right-hand side of the screen section instead of at the left-hand side thereof as in Figs. 2 and 5. In order to make this change'in relationship of the parts it is merely necessary to unbolt the section B from the section A, to remove the caps 36, Fig. 2, and then to abut the flan-ges of section B against the corresponding 'parts of the other section and.' bolt the two together. In bringing the parts together in theirv new relationship, the ducts 5 at opposite` sides of 'the vblower section are slipped over'or telescoped upon the corresponding ducts of the screen section, andy a cap 35 is placed on the left-hand end o-i each duct 5. Thus the cooperative relationship of the parts is maintained undisturbed in their new positions.

The drum 3, blower fan 23 and. stripper I0, include driving shafts individual to them indicated, respectively, at 38, 39 and 40. The drum shaft 38 issupported in ball bearings or roller bearings il-ill secured in the walls of the fines 5 5, and this shaft carries a pulley 42. The otherV two shafts 3 and li@ are similarly supported in ball or roller bearings, and they carry pulleys 43 and ill and are operatively connected together by a belt 55, Fig. l. v The stripper roll shaft 46 also has another pulley d6 secured toit, and it is belted to the drum pulley il?, as shown at 41. Thus all the shafts of the condenser unit are connecteddirect-- ly to each other, and their operative relationship is such that it is not disturbed by the reversal of the sections A andI B, as shown in Fig. `4. The blower shaft has a pulley 48 for convenience in connecting the unit to any suitable source of power. By mounting the shafts in ball or roller bearings, they may be packed with a suicient supply of lubricant to run without attention for many months. Y

Provision is also made for adjusting the rotor casing 21 of the blower into various position-s where it will discharge its air in diierent directions. This is a great convenience in adapting the condenser to use in different relationships. It will be observed that the casing .21 is secured to the end plates 25e-25 by the flanges 3l-'3l and their bolts `53, Figs. 1 and 8. Consequently, by removing these bolts the 'casing 2l with its intake ducts 35i- 3Q may be adjusted around the blower shaft v39 into any one of four different positions. When so adjusted it may be secured rigidly in its new position. In addition, the blower casing may be reversed end for end in the blower section B, although this is not quite so easily accomplished. Two of kthese different positions of the blower are shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

From the foregoing it will beappreciated that the invention provides a condenser unit of extraordinary adaptability to diierent locations and the requirements of different-installations. This characteristic is valuable both to the ultimate user and also to` the manufacturer. It permits the former to use the same unit in a great variety of locations and with diierent machines, and it affords the manufacturer a degree of standardization orf parts and assembly which materially reduces the cost of production. So` far as possible, those parts and elements requiring frequent inspection and adu'ustment have been eliminated, and the apparatus is capable of continuous operation over long periods without attention of any kind. The fact that the condenser unit is a complete and comp-act structure including` not only the elements necessary for its operation, but also the driving connections between those elements, and that it is of a readily portable nature, saves trouble and expense in installation, it merelybeing necessary to mount it yin the position where -it is to belused and to connect it to any 'con- Having thus described our invention,.=what we desire to claim as new is: l. A condenser unit for screening ber out of an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, said casing'having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of.

said blower, ay vroll mounted in said casing in 'cooperative relationship'to said drum for strippingtherefrom the vfibrous material strained out of the air stream bythe screening surface oi said drum, an intake chute. for conducting the incoming ber laden air. stream into said drum chamber, said. drum .being substantially 1mobstructed internally so that lair can flow from said drum chamber through approximately the entire circumference of the drum, an outlet chute through which said stripper roll discharges the material removed from saiddrum, and, means for admitting a restricted flow of air into a part of said drum chamber outside said drum and remote from said inlet and outlet.

V2. A. condenser unit forv screeningvbers out of an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambersrin which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, said casing having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, a roll mounted in said casing in coop-v erative relationship to said drum for stripping therefrom the fibrous material strained out of the air stream by the screening surface of said drum, said drum being so positioned in said casing as to reduce the circulation of ber laden air. in contact with a portion of the screen adjacent tc the stripper roll, and means for admitting'a vrestricted flow of air into said part of the drum chamber outside said drum and in which the circulation ofA air otherwise would be sluggish.

l3. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an air stream, comprising a rotary screening drum, a casing in which said drum is mounted, means for stripping from the peripheral surface" of said drum the fibrous material filtered by it out of the `air stream, an intake chute for con-v ducting the 'incoming ber laden air stream into the screening chamber in said casing, said casing having an lopening admitting a restricted ilow of air from outside said casing into a part of said chamber outside said drum and in which the circulation of said uber-laden air stream is relatively sluggish.

4. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an air stream, comprisingv a rotary screening drum, a 'casing in which said drum is mounted, means for stripping from the peripheral surface of said drum the fibrous material filtered by it out of the air stream, and an intake chute for conducting the' incoming fiber laden air stream into the screening chamber in said casing, said casing and said chute including removable parts adapted to be rearranged to connect said chute to diierent parts of said casing, in all of which it serves to direct said air stream into said chamber. v

5. A condenser unit for screening bers: out of an air stream, comprising a rotary screening drum, a casing in which said drum is mounted, means for stripping from the peripheral surface of said drum the brous material filtered by it out of thel air stream, and an intake 'chute for conducting the incoming `fiber laden air stream into the screening. chamber in said casing, said casing including removable 'panels affording access to the screening chamber at different points around said drum, and said chute being adapted to be connected to any one of a plurality of the openings normally closed by said panels.

6. A condenser un-it for screening fibers out of an .air stream, comprising a rotary screening drum, a casing in which said drum is mounted, means for stripping from the peripheral surface of said' drum the fibrous material filtered by it out of the air stream, and an intake chute for conducting the incoming fiber laden air stream into the screening chamber in said casing, said casing having parts interchangeable to secure said chute thereto. in different operative relationships.

'7. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, with their axes parallel to each other, said casing having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, means forstripping from said drum the brous material, strained out of the air stream by the screening surface of the drum and discharging such material from said casing, said casing comprising two sections containing said respective chambers, and means for securing said sections together in diiTerent-positions while preserving `the operative relationship of said blower, drum and ducts to each other.

8. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an air stream, comprising an open-'ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum andblower are mounted, respectively, with their axes parallel to each other, said casing having ducts for-conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, a chute leading from said casing for the discharge therethrough of the material screened out of said air stream, a stripper roll mounted atthe inner end of said chute and in cooperative relationship to said drum, said stripper roll having yielding blades arranged to wipe against the peripheral surface of said drum to remove therefrom the accumulation of ber on said surface and to direct the material so removed through said chute, an intake funnel for conducting the incoming fiber laden air stream into said screening chamber, said casing and said funnel having removable parts constructed for the connection of said funnel to said casing in different operative relationships to said screening chamber, said casing supporting said blower, drum and roll in closely adjacent relationship and cooperating therewith to form a compact, portable condenser unit.

9. A condenser unit for screening bers out of an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, with their axes' parallel to each other, said casing having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, means for stripping from said drum the brous material strained out of the air stream by the screening surface of the drum, a driving shaft for said blower, and means supporting the rotor casing of the blower for adjustment in its chamber and about said shaft to discharge its air in different directions while maintaining its operative relationship to said drum undisturbed.

' 10. A condenser unit for screening fibers out f an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, with their axes parallel to each other, said casing comprising two sections containing said respective chambers, each of said sections having ducts at opposite sides thereof, the ducts of one section being connected with those of the other to conduct air from the ends of said drum into the intake ends of said blower, means for removing from said drum the fibrous material strained out of the air stream by the screening surface of the drum, and means for securing said sections together in different relationships with said ducts operatively connected with each other.

11. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an a-ir stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, with their axes parallel to each other, said casing having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, means for stripping from said drum the brous material strained out of the air stream by the screening surface of the drum and discharging such material from said casing, said casing comprising two sections containing said respective chambers, means for securing said sections together in different relationships while preserving the cooperative relation of said blower, drum and ducts to each other, the blower section of said casing including end plates, and means supporting the rotor casing of said blower between said plates for adjustment around the blower shaft into different operative positions.

12. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a'blower, a casing having chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, with their axes parallel to each other, said casing having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, the blower section of said casing including end plates to which the walls of said ducts are secured and the blower including a fan and a shaft therefor, bearings for said shaft supported in the outer walls of said ducts, the rotor casing for said blower being secured to said end plates for adjustment around said shaft and into different positions, in all of which its operative relationship to said ducts and said drum is maintained, said blower casing section being adapted to be secured to the section of the casing in which said drum is mounted in either of two operative relationships to the latter, and means for securing said casing-sections together. v

13. A condenser unit for screening fibers out of an air stream, comprising an open-ended rotary screening drum, a blower, a casing having'chambers in which said drum and blower are mounted, respectively, with their axes parallel to each other, said casing having ducts for conducting air from said drum into the intake of said blower, said casing Vcomprising two sections containing said respective chambers, said sections being adapted to be connected together in different operative relationships, each of said sections being composed chiefly of metal plates provided with flanged edges, and means for securing the flanges of the plates of the two sections together in said relationships.

, WILLIAM SHAW.

ELIOT B. MACLEAN. 

